Happy Friday! We’ve scoured the web for thought-provoking articles and essays for you to enjoy during our first full weekend of summer.
The Beatles convinced us that “we get by with a little help from our friends” – but is there actual science to back that up? Over at the New York Times, Jane E. Brody reports on recent studies out of Harvard, Duke, Stanford and more that stress how critical social interaction is for our mental and physical health:
“People who are chronically lacking in social contacts are more likely to experience elevated levels of stress and inflammation. These, in turn, can undermine the well-being of nearly every bodily system, including the brain.
Absent social interactions, blood flow to vital organs is likely to be reduced and immune function may be undermined. Even how genes are expressed can be adversely affected, impairing the body’s ability to turn off inflammation. Chronic inflammation has been linked to heart disease, arthritis, Type 2 diabetes and even suicide attempts.”
For Emma Seppala of the Stanford Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, interaction is just as crucial as eating well and exercising. “Social connectedness generates a positive feedback loop of social, emotional and physical well-being,” she says. “Don’t forget to connect.”
Elsewhere on the Internet:
Jane Von Bergen of the Philadelphia Inquirer profiled our Books@Work programs at GGB Bearing Technology in Thorofare, NJ after sitting in on a session with the CEO, engineers, finance folks and production workers.
Forbes looks at a new Deloitte study on diversity and inclusion in the workplace – and the finding that “a mere 12% of companies are truly inclusive.”
Kara Voght writes for The Atlantic on Vassar College’s Posse Foundation programs for student-veterans and “the intimacy and intellectual growth at the heart of the liberal-arts experience” that has enabled them to thrive.
James Bailey encourages business leaders to practice psychological safety in Psychology Today, urging them to “create environments where thoughtful failures are embraced” rather than criticized.
Why do new managers project such an unflappable demeanor? The Harvard Business Review writes on the importance of expressing our emotions and being human at work.
Image: Bañistas en la playa de Santander, Rafael Zabaleta, 1955, [Fair Use] via WikiArt.org
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